Bid My Blood To Run
by TheEyeOfThePheonix
Summary: The changing of The Deathly Hallows. What if things happened differently, what if Draco's story went a different way? Read on to find out... And then find out what happened after, because 6 years is a long time. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is my first ever Harry Potter fanfic, I have loved it forever though. It will be a Two shot, maybe Three shot. I've used a few lyrics in this, so if you want to know what songs I used them from, look at the bottom AN. So, this is set in Deathly Hallows, it starts when they've just escaped from the fire Goyle started. – I've changed the story around a bit to make it make sense with the story I want to tell and added some extra scenes, which I really love them – I never normally like a lot of my own stuff. (Though I do love the original ending, not so sure about the 19 years later bit, but I did use that concept as well). If you've read all this then have a Butter beer on me. Have any questions about it – PM me. Anyway, R&R please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

All this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
Got to open my eyes to everything  
Without a thought without a voice without a soul  
_ Evanescence - Bring me to life

Bid My Blood To Run - Chapter 1

Draco's POV

Shock  
They'd saved us.  
Goyle'd started a fire, our friend had started a fire that could have potentially killed us, killed them.  
But they'd turned back and saved us from being incinerated.

Confusion  
Our mortal enemies had saved us. People who've hated us since the start, since we all first met. And they'd saved us…why?  
I thought they would have left us for dead, two less to fight in the raging battle.

Them…the ginger weasel, who'd sought out his friends to warn them.  
The golden boy – Potter – who couldn't do hardly anything wrong in anyone's eyes. Funnily enough, father had once said "You should be better than that Potter, Brave, Fierce…you're not." Nice, eh?  
And we mustn't forget the girl in the group, the one who'd had the nerve to punch me (Though that does still make me smile) She's infuriating, I wind her up and she plunges truth into me. I'm evil, selfish…

…everything I have to be, to be a Malfoy, to not be killed by Him. I know she knows, in a way she knows. Though I do know she loathes me. She doesn't pity me, never. She just looks at me sometimes, just looks, like she wants to say something, but she doesn't. She's afraid – afraid of me – afraid of those who surround me, who make me.

She hugs H…Potter and she hugs Weasley, for longer, she hugs him for longer. And I feign awkwardness and run off.

Epiphany  
I don't go back to Him. I sit in the Great Hall. Plaques and pictures all lay broken, huge pieces of rubble converge on the ground. The flags are all broken, mighty Gryffindor aren't mighty anymore – and that, I don't know…saddens me? Slytherin's dead, I know that, I served it well but look what its gone and done. Killed a school, killed Hogwarts…killed the place of innocence – a place I could hide from the outside world, from what I had to become – even if it only lasted a little while. Friends and foes lay dead, one of the Patel twins are dead, the other, broken I imagine.

His chair…Du…The headmasters chair is chipped and blackened, like his trembling hands were. It looks dead.

The trio of friends enter and Weasley runs…he runs to another dead twin…they're being broken apart! The funniest, bloody hilarious they are, I'm rather fond of them (Though if you ever tell anyone, you're dead) Even if they are Weasley's. Fred is dead and I'm not going to laugh to laugh because it rhymes, though normally I would. I would normally do a lot of stuff, but now's not the right time.

I sit in the corner and tune out for a while and when I eventually tune back in, the triage are gone. The place is silent, some people are sleeping, they have wands in their hands incase of a surprise attack. Others are awake and alert. Horror and dread has filled the room and…it scares me, I leave…I go to leave but I get to those all too familiar double doors and stop. They, Weasley and Granger, are there…and they're bleeding kissing. I lean against one of the doors and wait – they leave and I go. I retreat to the Slytherin common room; I don't quite much like them no more. Though, I get there and it's empty, like a desert, it's all intact. Everything else is defiled yet this room, the source of evil, is absolutely fine, it's fucking fine!  
Soon it's not, the chairs are ripped to pieces, the carpets are torn and scorch marks adorn the place – it was me, I was doing it, ruining the place where I'd lived for years. It felt good, it felt right. I screamed 'Wingardium Leviosa' (She'd got it right the first time.) and I'd chucked the ornamental stuff I'd levitated at the walls. The shields, we didn't deserve them – we'd cheated most of them. The first shield we'd won when I was here, I held it, I looked at it. I didn't deserve it, I'd broken Harry's…Potter, I said Potter's arm – I didn't deserve anything, I lifted my arm to chuck it…but I heard that voice. I'd been dull of thoughts; I'd made myself dull of thoughts that I didn't hear anyone's approach. "Draco…what do you think you're doing." She wasn't scolding me, she wasn't demanding an explanation, she was talking rather softly, shocked. I laughed "Think…you thought I was thinking…" and then my face went blank – void of any emotion. I just stared at that shield, that golden shield…golden trio…my arm shook. I'd never be golden, never be anything worth knowing…  
I see her hand close over mine, she's telling me to let go…of my past, I think. Though it's my wand, she's telling me to let go of my wand. I do and she tentatively lowers the shield onto a table. I want to sit down but there's no chairs so I just sit on the edge of the table, she sits next to me and doesn't say anything, just stays with me. Normally, I'd say "Go away you dirty little mud blood!" but I can't bring myself to say it. I do want to say something and I can't, I shake my head – I'm scared of emotions, I don't know them, I can't understand them, I can't deal with them. I feel her take my hand in hers and I want to break down – but I can't because I don't know how to, not in front of people anyway. She just looks down; she doesn't know what to say either.

…And then we're shaken out of our reverie, we hear someone shriek. He's back. I tense up, he should be baying for my blood by now. She tense's too when we hear Harry's name being screamed, it's Ron, he's shouting. She closes her eyes and nods a little, like she knows what's happened and accepts it…

…And then we run, I let her hand go and she turns and looks at me, I look back and she nods.

The place is silent when we reach the entrance hall, Hermione runs off to the Weasley's, I just stand on the stairs. Hagrid carries Harry. He's won, hasn't he? He asks for people to go and join him and Neville! Neville Longbottom steps forward, is he serious? They laugh – they shouldn't, they should feel lucky to have him, he's bloody brave. He gives a speech that even if Harry is gone, he's still with us and it's not over….  
I agree with him…then He signals for me, my parents silently beg for me to do as He says. McGonagall looks at me, like she expects me to do as he says. And I realise, I don't want to be what they expect me to be…He'll kill you, they'll kill you – that voice inside my head screams at me. But I know if I go against orders, they'll protect me – because as Dumbledore says…as Dumbledore said 'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it'  
But not for me, I don't deserve help.

I go to him…and he…he hugs me, I never get hugs…I don't do hugs…I hate emotion…yet he hugs me.

I feel their eyes on me and when I turn around I see her, and I can't make eye contact,

I can't look at her without loathing myself, not that I don't loath myself already.

…And then that crazy son of a bitch comes alive again – Harry Potter defies the odds again. And I have to fight a smile down.  
The battle starts up again. And my…parents try to get me to leave…a tower crumbles. I can't leave here, I can't leave Hogwarts…I don't want too.  
So I run from them, I run into the fray and strike down a Death Eater who's fighting Neville. He smiles at me? Okay…let's just go with it. I fight and I fight the most fierce battle I have ever fought, I fight to escape my past, I fight for a better world…I fight for this school…and I fight for her. I could tell she didn't believe I was all evil, I knew that – just that little bit of light always kept me going, I never realised it until this battle. For those I wish could have lived, for those I wish could be friends – I now fight for the survival of good. (If I'd have said that before, I would have died from a heart attack.)

…I think we're winning, I don't know, I'm mesmerized by the battle outside. Green and blue sparks have collided from wands – the wands of Harry and Voldemort. And Harry's winning!

And she comes; she stands beside me, our hands so close, resting on the windowpane. She's shaking this time, and I tremble as I put my pinkie finger on hers and we clasp me them and watch in silent, horror filled relief as Harry's beam of magic finally beats Voldemort. I feel the urge to jump up and hug her…but Ron shouts for her, joyous laughter protrudes from his voice. She turns her head to look at him and I let her go, she freezes for a second, like someone's just frozen her in time and then she runs off…

…Only know you love her when you let her go…

Now I freeze, well my face freezes, I sit down. Right now the trio are reuniting. McGonagall walks by and pats me on the shoulder, I know I now where a bewildered look on my face. I'm accepted?

It all ends with beginnings…

~6 years is a long time~

AN: There will be a second chapter…look out for it! The title is from an Evanescence song i quoted. I think this was more based on the film version. The songs I used some lyrics from were Passenger- Let her go. Daft Punk – Get lucky. Demi Lovato- Heart attack (kind of)


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I had exams, stuff and life. But thank you to ….. for following and waiting for this, you kept me going. Just to let you know, I've decided to change this to a 3 maybe 4 chapter fic, hope you like it! Anyway, R&R please.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this lil' gem of a series is owned by the one, the only…J.K. Rowling!

They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for,  
I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting till the wars won,  
I don't care if heaven don't take me back.  
(Angel With A Shotgun, edited) The Cab

Bid My Blood To Run – Chapter 2

~6 years is a long time~

It is a known fact that time can pass extremely fast but it is known to also pass rather slowly, it just depends what kind of a predicament you find yourself in.  
Though it also known that a lot can change in 6 years time, and it is also known that little can change in 6 years, sometimes it is not your choice if a lot of things change, while other times the direction of your life is dependant on the paths you chose to travel down.

For this persons story, the time passed slowly and a lot did change, it was partly their own fault for the changes. Though predetermined by actions that were to be cast upon this persons life, they still had the choice to keep to the norm, but they chose not to. They chose to leave the life they loved so much to live in a civilised land.

This person, today, now lives in Oxford, works in a café and lives in an attic open plan flat. The blue sky had faded to grey, though they do still see that they are lucky to be alive, so lucky. They baby sit their landlords children, though they do give this person a headache and remind them of what could have been and what could never be.

This person doesn't like to stand out from the locals; they like to blend into the local styles, the natural scenery. So now, today, they were a muted green army style trench coat, a pair of light charcoal jeans, with a sandal wood belt gracing their hips. A light grey backpack is hung strenuously on their back; it loaded down with a few library books, a purse and a set of keys. Their earphones were surgically attached to their ears and a mobile flip phone, which was in her pocket, they looked like any normal civilian, albeit a more plainer, faded one.

I guess you haven't guessed who it is yet, have you? Or if you have well done! This person would, once have, and might still congratulate you on your academic achievement.

.

.

For this person was…Hermione Granger…

Yes, Miss Hermione Granger had some how ended up in suburbia, not that she hadn't lived in that type of a place before, but that was a lifetime away, quite literally…

* * *

Another person in a completely, yet still same in ways, world, was just exiting from the Floo Network onto the black purplish cobbled hall way of the Ministry's entrance hall. The usual black cloak with a trimming of green for the collar graced his body. The green was not showing allegiance to a Hogwarts house, no this was showing what Department he was from or at least the Department which people thought he worked for. He was now in the lift, waiting to be let out at Floor 9, his department was set under the paths of the Muggle world that was above their head.  
They sucked in a breath as the flaming head of Ronald Weasley, appeared in front of him, followed by the bespectacled face of one. Mister Harry Potter. They hadn't changed much since school, yes they were taller, but that was to be expected. They still held an air of childish enthusiasm as Ron started to talk animatedly about a new technique he was to learn in the Aurors Office. This person just nodded their head, Ron wasn't talking to them but they felt the need to begrudgingly acknowledge their presence, Harry's presence, he didn't mind so much to acknowledge. But Ron's, he just can't be bothered with the man. The door flew open and Ron and Harry set off to leave, but Harry turned back around and spoke in a friendly, yet guarded voice "Hello Draco."

And yes, you may have guessed that this was Draco Malfoy, but this wouldn't have gotten you any brownie points from the man, well I couldn't say 'from the boy' now could I! Draco would have just made a snide quiet remark about Sherlock. Rather crude and childish, but hey, these three people should be allowed to be childish sometimes without feeling guilty for doing so, they'd missed out on a year, in some his case two, of being able to just enjoy life.

* * *

Draco reached his office; the sign was emblazoned with the words 'Department of Mysteries'. The new Minister of Magic had been sceptical at handing Draco this particular job. It held many secrets at which, if in the wrong hands, could be used to bring down the Wizarding world yet again. He had to pick his way through the Circle room, enchanting a spell to stop the room revolving as he did so, to find his office. Every person in this Department had their own office and that office had three stages of security to go through, the world of mysteries was very secretive. A folder sat on his desk, he was hoping it would be more information on the Wallasey case he had been working on for three weeks, but it wasn't. He sighed as he realized it was a new case; he flung his bag into a corner and kicked his shoes off as he started to read this manila folder.

This case was about an abnormality on Samhain, the most magical night of the Wizarding calendar, mere Muggles call it Halloween and dress up in silly costumes trying to scare the heebee-geebees out of one another. Try coming face to face with The Dark Lord, then you can call yourself a pro-Halloweener. But there was something special about this Samhain, this year had been the 10,000th year anniversary of magic first reported to have been used. Every generation lives to see an anniversary which is something special to our kind. The abnormality had been a build up of magic in a Muggle home, it seemed to be near bursting but it never happened, and it never faded. It was thought to be a danger to Muggles living near by. He didn't have to spend too much time coming up with a plan so he set off for a connection to the Floo Network.

* * *

He came out of an old fire place in an abandoned factory; this wasn't too different to numerous connections in remote Muggle filled places. Hardly no wizards lived in Oxford, there were only a few, and they had probably been put their by the Ministry to keep an eye on the area, obviously they hadn't done such a great job. He struck on his invisibility cloak, and no, before you ask, he hadn't stolen it from Harry, they were a necessity for all Department of Mysteries employees.  
He sat across the road looking at the big stately home; it reminded him of his old childhood home, Malfoy Manor, though it wasn't as grand. The person was said to reside in the attic, assuming that this person didn't belong to the family who resided here; he would have hazarded a guess to say that they were lonely. A wizard living at an unregistered address with a Muggle family of no relation, in a hugely Muggle populated area was surely a rather lonely experience.  
It made him think of Granger, she would be all up for living like this; she grew up in Muggle land. She wasn't here though, she'd took off to join her parents in Australia, apparently she's working as a magical detective person over there, it doesn't sound quite right though does it, you would have thought she'd do something to do with Runes or Arithmancy, but then again she didn't complete her schooling, did she? We did, we went back and repeated our 7th year, she did as well, though she only stayed for three months and then she just upped and left…

He studied the weird half moon, stained glass window that converged on a flat part of the attic roof, he couldn't really see much, but he could see the outline of the person and he could definitely tell it was a girl. The girl seemed to be getting ready to leave, a bag was heaved onto her back and then she disappeared from sight. She returned to sight a few minutes later as she left the house, locking the door behind her, and biting into an apple. The girl had brown eyes, they crackled with unused magic, they were enticing and he bet that she was popular with the men; you could almost mistake her for a Veela. Though she seemed to blend into the background, but her hair gave her away, she'd tried to flatten it but it stayed bushy and blonde?  
Could this possibly be…but she's in Austr…was this Hermione Granger?!

~The 'Angel' has found his case,

The time to spring is upon us~

AN: Chapter 3 is written, but it won't be up for a couple of days, it needs a major overhaul. *Salutes* 'Major Overhaul' (HIMYM!). As always, review, follow, whatever it is you want to do. Oh, and it's technically 52,000 years since magic was started, but i chose to have it as 10,000 years as it seemed more simpler.

-Oh and check out this song, Lene marlin - Never To Know. It's really good for Draco!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I know I said it would only be a few days but the laptop went a tad haywire. Warning: I've used the words buggered and ass. 'Curosity killed the cat.' Is a quote from the film, Awaydays. Anyway, R&R please.

Disclaimer: As ALWAYS, I don't own Harry Potter

Following someone is generally known as stalking. Unless you're a detective, like Sherlock Holmes, then it's considered very normal; though it would still look very weird if you were caught in the action of doing so.

If you are a wizard in the Wizarding world it is generally very easy to follow someone; if you know how. You can wear an invisibility cloak or you can use a spell, though the followed could quite easily use another spell, like Homenum Revelio, to reveal your position.

If you're a Muggle in the Wizarding world, you're pretty much buggered when it comes to following someone.

Now if you're in the Muggle world and you're a muggle, it's generally easy to follow another muggle around; a Wizard would find it easy to follow a muggle. Though a muggle would find it rather hard to follow a wizard around, like a wizard would find it hard to follow another wizard around.

Though Draco was having rather marvellous luck at following this witch around. He was shocked in some ways, but delighted in others, so far. This was the easiest case he'd been on since he'd started working for the Ministry.

At this precise moment he was following the girl along a normal country suburban street, all green and sunny. He'd thought about just approaching her, but when he'd remembered what'd happened to the Weasle when he'd approached a muggle girl in the middle of a muggle town, he'd quickly thought against it. He had learnt how muggle men reacted to such a thing and he definitely wasn't going to chance being attacked by a girl again, let alone Granger…how could it be her? He'd reasoned with himself too many a times whilst walking along, all manner of possibilities. But he'd had enough, I mean who was he kidding and why did he care? So he closed his eyes and enchanted a spell, it was a revised Obliviation spell; it would act like a minor memory loss to him. It would make him forget about her for a while.  
He'd stopped a couple of shops down from a café called 'The Early Bird's Eatery', she had entered it, the door opening and closing with a jingle of bells; they were rather jolly bells which would definitely wake you up in the morning. Which was good as it opened at 6am, to catch the commuters, rather smart they were; I guess the name could tell you as much. Draco noted that she didn't stop to chat; she just picked up an envelope from out back before leaving with a steaming paper cup of Cinnamon Cappuccino, whatever that was. As she left through the door, the jolly bells chimed their tune; they seemed to annoy her as her face contorted slightly at the noise of them. She walked a little further down the road before she stopped and sat on a bench, setting the cup down next to her, she tore the envelope open.  
Whatever was in it made her frown.

He didn't get a chance to try and peruse it over her shoulder as she set off at a quick march up the road. He'd followed her to a muggle's Gringrotts, which was called a bank, or even a Building Society to some. Never once in his life had he expected to learn that, but it came with the job, and he couldn't afford to refuse his boss' directions. The girl went over to a till and passed over, what he now recognized as, a cheque. The cashier passed it through a machine and replied "So that's £300, did you win the lottery?" The cashier smiled and the girl managed a faked smile. "No, that's my wages." The cashier didn't voice a reply, she just formed an 'O' with her mouth. That's all the girl needed, she bowed her head slightly and walked away, not too quickly, she didn't want to seem ashamed or ungrateful. Her boss gave her as many hours as he could and she worked her ass off for that money.

The time to approach said girl came shortly after, she'd stationed herself in a corner of the local library and she looked set to stay there for a while. It was the perfect time to approach, though he was a tad apprehensive, he knew sometimes that if you approach someone in a library they may get very annoyed and leave…and he noted the spell was wearing off. He didn't enchant it again, he was all set now. Her face was hidden behind a book called Bohrat's Epitaph, so he selected a book from a shelf nearby and slowly sat across from her. He heard the girl huff quietly as she eventually lowered the book to acknowledge his presence, she seemed annoyed and he would have realised that he was right to be apprehensive. But he didn't think that, he thought how that was a definite Granger trait…his brain was fully turned back on now. Great!

For some reason he had chosen to just stare at her, her brown pools now portrayed her as scared, she shifted uncomfortably. He knew this was weird, for all she knew; he was a fellow book-lover. He really hadn't meant to freak her out.  
"It's okay…I'm…" but he didn't get a chance to finish his stumbling stanza as she'd interrupted. "I know who you are…what are you doing here?" She seemed so sure of herself at first but the charade had been dropped as she became curious. Curiosity killed the cat and it really was…was a great downfall "On…earth?" So Draco had decided to play dumb, but that had just annoyed her even more so. "No, you know what I'm talking about, here, Oxford." Draco seemed taken aback, he couldn't even talk properly, Draco Malfoy was practically speechless as he stuttered "I…I'm…" he was sincerely shocked at himself, and by the looks of things, she was too. She'd quirked an eyebrow in, yet again, curiosity.  
He cleared his throat, and instead of talking, he dug deep into his grey satchel for that sheet of parchment. He pushed a side a box of Bertie Bott's 100 flavoured beans and grabbed at a pointy thing, it had just stabbed his hand; it was the corner of some parchment. He chucked it down on to the table and grabbed up a pen from a stationary box, one each was sat on every table and surprisingly they were pretty full. You'd normally expect people to have stolen stuff like this. He wasn't surprised at how the ink flowed from the pen; he'd had to take a short course of muggle studies for his Mysteries job. He inked down a couple of extra things and then shoved it across the table to the girl, she was reluctant to read it at first, her hand hovering near it for a minute before curiosity took over her. Honestly, she was like a child with her curiosity. Her eyes scanned the words with increasing tension, she didn't like it one bit, and to top it all off, she didn't seem to understand. And yet he was so sure she should, he was so sure it was her. She crossed her arms and asked "So…what has this got to do with me?" She wanted to forget, Hermione Granger wanted to forget about magic, how could this have happened?

.

.

He sat in silence for a moment, too shocked at his realisation, but he knew…he had to know, no, he wanted to know, to understand. It had been 6 years; they were 23 years old, adults. He needed to know…how she'd done it.

.

.

"I can…er, understand a build up of anger, but…a build up of _magic_? It's unheard of?!" he'd finally gotten over his shock, his head was befuzzled, he didn't understand. "Well that's where you're wrong…ever heard of Merope Gaunt…course you have!" Of course he had, he'd had to know about Voldemort's history for his job…and to know how dangerous he was, but that wasn't important. He'd made her talk by reaching out to her intellectual educational side. He was pleased. But a part of him was mad at her for assuming he knew, because of the whole Death Eater thing, he never thought she'd be judgemental. Though he couldn't lie to himself, he really wasn't mad; he'd just had to put up with a lot of that stuff over the past years. She didn't mean it and he knew. And he was right; she didn't mean it, she had flinched as she had said it. He knew why she thought that, a flash back; is all it takes, is all it could take. But now it was time to appeal to her honoured status. "Yep, sure do! But what I can't understand is why, you of all people, wouldn't want to use _magic! _I mean, you being the bright…" "…test witch of her age, yeah I know." This was rather intriguing and rather scary; she didn't like to be referred to as that, she was annoyed by it? The title she had once loved so much, to the title she loathed the most? This wasn't right, this was wrong. He didn't want to push it too far but had her where he wanted her, he had to keep going, no matter what.. "Yet you skip out on school, why?"

She didn't reply, it seems he'd hit a sour spot, She'd always loved school, thrived on even just the mention of the word. It had puzzled so many when she had dropped out, she was supposed to be the one to leave with the top grades, a certainty of a bright future laid clear in mounds of galleons. But that wasn't to be, they'd seen the world for what it was, many of them where too young, they shouldn't of had too, it wasn't time. Even though they had seen such atrocity, this had still shocked them to the core. School was a rather subdued affair for the few days that followed, they were only reawakened when Dennis Creevey, Colin's brother, had dropped a dung bomb on Professor Trelawney's head, guess she hadn't seen that coming! He'd turned out to be a right little troublemaker, people guessed he had just been rebelling, trying to cope with his brother's death. They were right, but he never recovered, he was still getting into trouble with the law nowadays.  
Yet he knew he could get her to spill her guts. She had done it to him by being quiet, comforting and just listening, but he needed to approach her differently, needed to force her to spill the beans. But she got the first word in, though not the word he'd been hoping for, she'd chosen to try and change the subject; at least she hadn't tried to leave. Because then he was pretty much buggered, he couldn't force her to stay, try as he might, there were laws about such treatment of a girl in this world. If she'd got up and left, all of his progress he'd made would be lost.  
"You've changed." It was a simple statement, set to stunt Draco from his set path, the subject he needed to discuss. Though it did work, if only a little, because he then had decided to try a different approach. Honesty, brutal honesty from the deepest darkest depths of his soul. "Fine, call me changed, even a non Slytherin if you must, but I saw my parents die fighting a losing cause, a cause I knew to be wrong, if that don't change anyone then Bobs my uncle!" She gave him a puzzled look, for of course the one thing she'd take from that speech would be, 'how the ruddy hell does he know that expression, how had The Draco Malfoy came to be acquainted with such a thing, he had her, he knew exactly what to say to sweeten her up now, to loosen her tongue.. "…Heard Harry say it a thousand times." It worked a treat, her eyes lit up, mentioning one of her best friends. Mentioning Harry, it really was the future. Now for the kill. "Look, you…helped me, so please make us even? Tell me…and I'll even erase my memory after…or you can, you are…better at those spells, right?" It really did seem to hurt him to admit such a thing, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Compliment a girl, make them happy. She mulled this over for a long, long time. Draco took to counting the flies outside of the window. She seemed to be arguing with herself.

.

But she eventually…eventually talked "You promise?" Her eyes were doleful. Draco crossed his fingers, he had to, he just had to, and said "I'll even make the unbreakable vow, if you really wish it." She swallowed a lump "That won't be necessary," she'd never ask anyone to do such a thing, he knew it and with that he breathed a silent sigh of relief. Her eyes darted around, like she was paranoid, like people were staring at her. They weren't. "Not here, my place." She went to rise but was stopped halfway through by Draco's reply "I know it."

And to no one's surprise, she wore a bug-eyed look…

~The bait has been caught,  
The lair shall be our findings~


End file.
